Homemade infused liquors are delicious, fun and easy to make. Learn how to make blackberry brandy and you’re on your way to amazing craft cocktails at home. It’s smooth, fruity, and as a bonus, it’s beautiful too. Plus you’ll know you made it with your own two hands. I mean, these are life skills worth learning!
How to Make Blackberry Brandy:
Have you ever tried to infuse your own alcohol? Last year I made some raspberry and ginger vodkas that were really good. I decided to use the same technique to make blackberry brandy this summer. It’s a great way of capturing the flavors of summer berries so you can enjoy them all year long. Learn how to make blackberry brandy and you’re on your way to amazing drinks like the blackberry smash bourbon cocktail!
Blackberry brandy is about as classic as you can get for a flavored liquor, it’s been around for centuries. Besides making cocktails, you can sip it as an after dinner drink, or give it as a homemade gift. You can even use it for old school desserts like trifles and fruitcakes!
The Ingredients
Brandy is a liquor but it’s actually distilled from wine. It’s been around since the 16th century when an enterprising ship captain figured out a way to ship (and sell) more wine, he took the water out of it! Genius. The result of this distilling was brandy. Since brandy is usually made from grapes, it takes to other fruity flavors really well too. Like these delicious blackberries!
When you’re shopping for brandy, you’ll notice the bottles have different lettered designations on them. The letters are a grading system that lets you know how long it’s been aged and what the quality is. I used a V.S.O.P. brandy which stands for “very superior old pale”. It’s in the middle of the quality range, between V.S. (very special), and X.O. (extra old). Since you’re going to infuse the brandy with the flavor of blackberries, you don’t need to buy a very expensive bottle.
Besides the brandy and the blackberries, you’ll also want to add a little sugar to your infusion.
Infusing the Brandy
To start your blackberry brandy you’ll add the fresh blackberries and granulated sugar to your jar. I like to use quart sized mason jars for this. Use a wooden spoon or a muddler to mash the berries and sugar together. Just enough to release the blackberry flavor, you don’t have to completely pulverize them.
Next you’ll pour in the brandy and stir it all up. Now starts the hardest part of learning how to make blackberry brandy – the waiting. Set the jar in a cool place, in your bar, in a cupboard or on your counter, for at least two weeks. I let mine infuse for about a month, but there’s no hard and fast rule for how long to let it sit. You could do weekly taste testings until it’s exactly the way you like it!
Once it’s ready, strain the blackberry brandy and store in a clean jar.
Homemade Blackberry Brandy
A little shot of blackberry brandy is a delicious after dinner drink. As a bonus, it’s also a beautiful dark red berry color. If you want to try it this way, it’s nice to chill it for a few hours before serving. Or just store it in the fridge!
If you’re looking for a drink idea, may I suggest this delicious blackberry smash bourbon cocktail??
If you liked learning how to make blackberry brandy, and are looking for another fun idea, try your hand at making infused raspberry or ginger vodka. A pretty jar of any of these handcrafted liquors in a basket with a few cocktail glasses also makes a great gift!
Disclaimer: any links to products in this post may be affiliate links. This means I would get a small commission if the product was purchased. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. I only link to products I like and use myself, or are similar to what I use if the exact item isn’t available. Thank you!
Print
How to Make Blackberry Brandy
Description
Homemade infused liquors are delicious, fun and easy to make. Learn how to make blackberry brandy and you’re on your way to amazing craft cocktails at home! It’s smooth, fruity, and as a bonus, it’s beautiful too. Plus you’ll know you made it with your own two hands. I mean, these are life skills worth learning!
Ingredients
- 1 6 oz container of blackberries, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 3 cups of brandy
Instructions
- Add the blackberries and sugar to a large, quart sized mason jar. Using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the berries into the sugar until the berries are broken up and the sugar’s liquefied.
- Pour the brandy into the mason jar. Stir the ingredients together.
- Place the lid on the mason jar tightly and put the jar in a cool, dark cupboard or on a counter. Let the flavor infuse for at least two weeks, and up to 3 months. While the brandy is infusing, you can occasionally shake the jar gently.
- Strain the brandy and store in a clean jar in your liquor cabinet. You can also store it in the refrigerator if you like to drink your homemade blackberry brandy cold.
